


Saving the World, or Saving Yourself

by accelgors



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Around Canon Time Period, Enemies sort of to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, No Porn, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:15:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21979435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accelgors/pseuds/accelgors
Summary: When Reaper must recruit Jack Morrison for his mission, he's reluctant, but goes along. This might unearth some old feelings, however...
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43
Collections: Reaper76 Free For All Secret Santa 2019





	Saving the World, or Saving Yourself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bonesofether](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonesofether/gifts).



Jack walked through the streets of Paris, searching for Gabriel. This was the best lead he and Ana had about his whereabouts. Ana had gone back to their safe house, but Jack insisted on searching through the night, despite Ana’s protests that he wouldn’t find anything in the dark with so little information anyway. She didn’t understand. They couldn’t waste a moment. Not when Gabriel was out there, probably so close.

He didn’t want to fight Gabriel this time. He wanted answers, to understand what he was doing and what his motivations were, because he refused to take the ‘Reaper’ persona at face value. The only thing he could do was chase him down and try to figure things out...and it certainly had _nothing_ to do with how much he missed him. He would never let his feelings cloud his judgment that badly, would he? Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he would.

After the Null Sector attack, Paris was much more quiet at night. People were afraid. They could all tell a storm was coming, just as much as Jack could. Ah well. It made it easier to find what he was looking for, without so many crowds in his face.

Turns out, Gabriel may be even closer than he thought. He nearly jumped as he saw a trail of black smoke in the distance, and instantly dashed off to catch it. Actual plans could come later. He had to catch Gabriel, and now. Before he got away again.

He ran through the street and down an alley, pushing the few people he encountered out of the way. His Mama would be so angry with him if she knew he was being so rude. What she didn’t know didn’t hurt her.

The alley was dark and empty, the perfect place to get murdered. The only thing around was a trash can. He chased Gabriel until he reached a wall, then couldn’t see him anymore. Fuck. Just as he was going to try to go in another direction, he saw Gabriel’s corporeal form next to him. Still with the dumb mask on, though.

“What do you want?” Gabriel said. “Did you follow me all the way here just for Round 2?” He still didn’t get it, did he?

Jack shook his head. “No. I don’t want to fight anymore.” Fighting with him hadn’t exactly gotten him anywhere last time, after all. 

If the brief pause before responding was any indication, Gabriel seemed startled by that response. “Then why are you here, if I’m not part of your revenge vendetta?” 

Jack ignored Gabriel’s attempt to mock him. He might as well tell the truth. “I want you to come home. Stop with all of this bullshit. I just want you back, and to know why you’re doing this.”

Well, Gabriel was _definitely_ startled by that. He stepped closer to Jack. Jack didn’t feel threatened, even though he probably should. “You’ve got some nerve, Morrison.” 

His anger was quickly starting to rise again. “Why are you acting like this, Gabriel?!” He shouted. “This isn’t you. I know it’s not.” 

“It is now,” Gabriel growled. “Deal with it.”

Jack refused to believe that. “The real you would never do all of this.”

Gabriel snorted. “The ‘real me’ is gone. Because of you.”

He knew Gabriel was trying to hurt him by saying that, and it absolutely worked. He tried not to recoil too much, and he certainly tried not to cry. “I fucked up. I know I did. I’m sorry,” Jack said. “But you can’t act like it’s everyone else’s fault. You shot me, Gabriel! Do you know how much that hurts?”

“It’s always about you, isn’t it?!” Gabriel was shouting now, too. “Did you ever consider how _I_ feel?” 

“All the time! It’s all I fucking think about now!” Jack fired back. “I’ve been thinking about it for years, and I still don’t get it. I don’t get why you’re working with them. They destroyed everything we cared about.”

Gabriel turned his head away. “You don’t know what I care about.”

Jack put his head in his hands. This was not going anywhere. There was no way he was going to get answers like this. “Just...talk to me, Gabe,” he pleaded. “Tell me what I can do to fix this. Please. Anything.” He hung his head. “I miss you,” he said, hopefully quiet enough that Gabriel wouldn’t hear.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Gabriel said. “It’s too late.” He sighed. “Look. I’ll give you a chance here. I won’t try to kill you. If you leave me alone from now on, I’ll leave you alone, too. Stop following me. You won’t ever bring back the old Gabriel, Jack. Just give up.”

Jack balled his hands into fists. “No.”

“God, you piss me off so much!” Gabriel shouted. Nearly a scream, really. “Why don’t you ever stop? Can’t you tell I want to be left alone? And why do you suddenly give a shit now, when you were fine with abandoning me before?!” Gabriel took a deep breath. “Listen. That offer about leaving you alone is still on the table. If you’re smart, we won’t see each other again. Bye.” With that, Gabriel turned to smoke and faded away.

“Gabriel!”

Jack punched the wall. God fucking damn it. He got away again. Jack absolutely refused to take that god damn ‘offer’. Never. He would fight for Gabriel until his last breath. Even if it killed him. Even if Gabriel was _the_ _one_ who killed him.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Right. He can’t have gone far. Jack doubted that he was done with his business here. 

He looked around for any kind of clue of where Gabriel went. A fruitless search, considering he literally faded into smoke, but what else could he do? 

There was something he found, though. A piece of paper that wasn’t on the ground before. It must have fallen onto the ground when Gabriel changed form. With no other leads, Jack decided to pick it up and read it.

_DATABASE PASSWORD: SHADOW_

Jack might have just struck gold.

\--

He couldn’t make heads or tails of any of this.

After he found the paper, he instantly went searching through every bit of information he had available. What was this database? Where was it? 

He wondered if this was a trap. He knew there was no way Gabriel would do something as careless as dropping something like that by accident. But this was his only strong lead in so long. Besides, it’d be a really weird and convoluted way to kill someone. And Gabriel wasn’t the same as when he knew him before. But why would that change make him less careful?

The most hopeful side of him said he did that on purpose as intentional sabotage. But the idea that he may be intentionally sabotaging them was a pipe dream that he tried to keep down, one that had been persistently nagging at him no matter how much time went by, and no matter how many atrocities Gabriel committed. 

All of this just left him with even more questions than he had before. But he refused to give up. Maybe this would get him somewhere.

So how would he get through all of this? 

You know what? Fuck it. Might as well. Using a saved number on his phone, he rang up Sombra.

She picked up almost immediately. “Ay, if it isn’t my favorite gringo! You got some news for me?”

Jack ignored the teasing. “I need your help. I’ll do what I can to make it worth your while.”

“Tch. That’s what they all say,” she said.

Jack wished she could see him roll his eyes through the phone. “Got some new info from Gabriel. Something about a database. Do you know what that is?”

Sombra paused. “Wait, he told you about that?”

Jack chuckled. “Well, not voluntarily. Dropped a piece of paper that said the password.”

Sombra laughed. “Oh, what a fool he must be.” Jack could detect the sarcasm in her tone. So she was just as suspicious of this ‘accident’ as he was. “But...if Gabi wants you to see it, I guess I have to obey my boss. You know how strict I am about that.” 

Jack scoffed. “Yeah, sure.” It was always very clear to Jack why Sombra annoyed Gabriel so much, but also why they may be something resembling friends. She reminded Jack of Gabriel in some ways. Or at least how he used to be.

“I’ll send it to you,” she said. His holo pad buzzed, and a link appeared on it. “Go on, click it.” Jack touched the link. “You know, that could’ve been a virus. You’re so naive,” she teased. 

“Yeah, well, if I’m gonna trust you, might as well go all the way,” Jack said.

Sombra laughed. “You and Gabi are perfect for each other.” He had no idea what that meant. “Anyway, I got trouble to start somewhere else. Call me if you need anything else,” she said, and abruptly hung up. He never knew what to make of that girl. Whatever. No time to think about that now.

He turned back to his work. The database prompted him for a password. He entered the “SHADOW” code and, miraculously, it seemed to work. A massive ton of files and links came up. He had no idea where to even start. The top, he supposed. He clicked the first file.

After a few hours, Jack had managed to gather more information than he had the entire past 5 years. To understand this plethora of information, he streamlined it into a smaller outline.

_Talon has control of many AIs that can manipulate any Omnic_

_Control panels for these scattered throughout the entire world_

_Can only be disabled through direct action upon control panel - still not sure how to operate control panel_

_Larger scale attack coming soon_

_Attack takes place in phases, starting at one place and spreading through the world_

_Each control panel controls AIs in nearby areas_

If he could just find those panels, he could destroy them. Maybe that would stop them. “But where are they…” He mumbled to himself.

In his deep focus, he forgot to check his surroundings, so he was intensely startled by somebody tapping his shoulder. He jumped, reaching for his weapon. It was Gabriel. What the fuck was he doing here? How did he know? Jack had never told him about this house. Did the database have some sort of tracker?

“What have you got there?” Gabriel asked.

Jack put his body between Gabriel and the holo pad, as if that would somehow keep him from seeing it (although Gabriel could easily just go around him as smoke). “Nothing. None of your business.”

“Is it nothing, or something that’s not my business?”

Ugh, he hated it when Gabriel toyed with him like this. “If you wanna kill me because I know too much, just get on with it.” He was sick of fighting verbally. Somehow, that was even more frustrating than getting shot.

Gabriel hummed. “I know where they are, you know,” Gabriel said, leaning back against a couch. Jack stared at him, but he continued. “There are 5 panels in different places around the world. Problem is, they only recognize handprints from members, and destroying them doesn’t stop them unless you deactivate it first. The others just take over if one gets destroyed. The only way to stop it is to deactivate it.” Well, there goes his violent solution. “It’s a security measure. Nobody outside of Talon was supposed to know about it, but oh well.” His tone remained completely nonchalant even as he betrayed his boss.

Something about this was odd, though. “Why are you telling me this?” Not that he didn’t believe him, but he didn’t know what Gabriel had to gain from this.

“None of your business.” 

“Is it nothing, or something that’s not my business?” Jack said. Hey, if he wanted to be an asshole, Jack could return the favor. 

Gabriel didn’t acknowledge the snark. “Look, I don’t have time for bullshit. I’m gonna get to the point. I need your help.”

Jack nearly recoiled in shock. Okay, this was _definitely_ a trap. “My _help?”_ That latent hope of him being against them was prodding him again, and if he was honest, he was trying with everything he had to not let himself get too excited. But he supposed that if he got killed in any way, it would be best for it to be by Gabriel’s hands. “With what?” He asked, having no idea what to expect the answer to be.

The mask gave no hint of what Gabriel was thinking, but Jack got the feeling he didn’t like admitting to needing his help for anything. Whatever it was, it must be important. “I already went through the whole ‘killer robot apocalypse‘ thing once, and it sucked. I need you to help me stop it.”

Jack didn’t have any idea of what to make of this. All he could do was stare at him dumbly. When he finally found words, all he could say was, “Thought you were on their side.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Maybe I changed my mind.” Not only was Gabriel hiding something from him, but he was making no effort whatsoever to pretend he wasn’t. He knew Gabriel just wanted frustrate him as much as possible. Why did he want to be so difficult? “Or maybe I just want to lead you a little. It was pathetic seeing you run around so lost,” he said. Jack wasn’t sure if being condescended to was better than being screamed at. 

“What do you need my help for?” Jack asked.

Gabriel chuckled. “Aw, don’t sell yourself so short,” Gabriel said, tone only becoming even more condescending. “You’re a strong man with a body that’s not fucked up. I’ll be the brains, you be the brawn.” 

Really? “You just gonna insult me all day?” This was bizarre. Gabriel was obviously being as annoying as possible, but still seemed like _himself._ Not ‘Reaper’. “If you wanna be friends again--”

“We are _not_ friends,” Gabriel said, stopping him mid-sentence. “Don’t get this twisted. Just because I need you doesn’t mean I like you.”

Jack sighed. Right back to square one. “Did you really need to shoot me down like that?”

“Did you really need to leave me for dead in a collapsed building?” Gabriel responded. And there they went again. Maybe they just shouldn’t talk at all. Gabriel shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Get your weapons. We’re leaving now.”

Jack wished he had been given a choice in the matter, but whatever. “I should tell Ana.”

“No. No Ana. Just you,” Gabriel said, barely giving Jack the chance to finish his sentence. “Nobody else needs to know about this.”

Although Jack considered objecting, he knew he was already on thin ice here. Gabriel could withdraw this at any time, and this might be his only chance to even be by his side ever again. So, he decided to cooperate. For now. “Fine.”

Jack picked up his pulse rifle and rounds of ammunition, putting his mask on. Back to being Soldier, not Jack. 

Right. This was just business. They were co-workers. Not friends. He shouldn’t delude himself.

Not that he was ever very good about that.

\--

Before Jack knew it, they were on their way to their first location. A location in northern Chile. Talon had given Gabriel his own helicopter, and with his high-ranking position they didn’t seem to be too discerning with where he took it. 

Turns out, fighting on Gabriel’s side wasn’t all he was expecting. Mostly because Gabriel refused to talk to him except to be rude or talk about plans. 

After a ride that they mostly spent in silence, Gabriel started to land. He looked over at Jack. “Follow me, and don’t ask too many questions.”

They walked through the streets, in an area that looked like a ghost town. The streets, houses, and other features of civilian life were there, but nobody seemed to be around. During the original Crisis, the military often led civilians into more compact areas (such as large cities) to make them easier to manage and protect. He assumed they were using a similar technique here.

Eventually, their surroundings started to change to forest. It became harder to navigate where he was, so he had to just trust Gabriel. Once again, there was always the possibility of this being a trap, and Gabriel leading him somewhere to get killed. He sighed.

After what felt like miles of trekking through forest (and trying to avoid any kind of wildlife), they came upon a piece of metal shaped like a desk, with a wide variety of buttons on it and a screen above.

Jack didn’t know what to do, so he merely stayed behind and tried to watch Gabriel’s back. He wasn’t even sure what to look for. Talon agents, maybe? Actually, it was kind of odd to not see any here.

“Do they really just leave these unattended?” Jack asked.

Gabriel chuckled, and Jack sensed a hint of smugness in it. “They do if you tell them you’re coming for official business. They’re too scared to ever say no to me.”

Instead of pushing any of the buttons, Gabriel merely put his hand to the panel. The screen flared to life, although there wasn’t anything specific on it. Just a shining white light. Gabriel touched his hand to the screen. 

To Jack’s surprise, some text popped up.

_REYES_

_DEACTIVATING…_

Jack looked at the buttons, which previously had a white light under them; now, the light gradually turned off from right to left. Gabriel picked up his shotgun and smashed the panel, causing buttons to fly everywhere. 

While this was happening, Jack froze as he heard footsteps behind them. Evidently, Gabriel didn’t. Although he wasn’t sure what their boundaries were at the moment, he decided this was important. “Get to cover!” He pushed Gabriel behind a tree.

Luckily, Gabriel seemed to understand what was happening, because he didn’t object. Both of them stayed silent as a Bastion unit approached. Jack tried not to have a panic attack as a thousand traumatic memories rushed to his mind. Recalling seeing these units shred people to pieces. He shuddered. It turned to its left and to its right, then started to walk away.

As it walked far enough to be out of sight, Jack got up and put his hand out to get Gabriel up as well. After Gabriel was completely up, Jack chuckled nervously. “Sorry. Kinda panicked.”

Gabriel paused. “No, I don’t like those things either. Too many shitty memories.” Well, that made two of them. 

Suddenly, Jack heard a sound that nearly made his heart stop: gunfire. Unmistakably from the Bastion unit. In a split second, he pulled Gabriel to the ground and covered him with his own body. A few bullets whizzed above their heads. 

After a few moments, both of them breathing as quietly as they could, he felt safe enough to get up. 

“You think it’s safe?” He whispered to Gabriel.

Gabriel moved out from under him and started to get off the ground. “Yeah. Probably just wanted to make sure anything that was there was dead for sure.” He paused. “...Thanks.” He said, refusing to look in Jack’s direction. “For saving my ass.” Jack felt hope rise in his chest.

“Anytime,” Jack said, also not looking him in the eye (mask?). He wondered if Gabriel was smiling under there.

Maybe, one of these days, he’d get to him.

\--

It was a good thing that modern technology allowed helicopters to be so much faster than they were when Jack was young. Their next location was all the way in the US. New Mexico, specifically. Because of the advancements in technology, they were able to arrive in only an hour. This time, the panel was located near the middle of a desert.

As they landed, Gabriel nudged Jack. “Be careful. Talon’s gonna start getting suspicious soon, and it’s only a matter of time before they find us.” Jack felt a bit insulted at the implication that he hadn’t been careful already, but he kept it to himself.

And of course, Gabriel still had not been any more helpful in telling him why he was doing this. Really, he felt more confused than ever.

The travel to the panel itself went mostly without incident. Gabriel’s warning had made Jack paranoid, and he searched the horizon constantly for any hostile forces, but he didn’t see any.

“Don’t you get hot in that?” Jack said. That all-black robe couldn’t be comfortable in the searing desert heat.

“No,” Gabriel responded. Jack looked at him, knowing there was more to it than that. “OK, yes. What do you care?”

Jack tried his best to restrain himself from fighting against Gabriel’s attempt to be difficult. “Was just asking, damn.” Of course, he didn’t add that he was worried about Gabriel. It certainly would make a piss-poor reunion if he collapsed from heatstroke. 

Gabriel sighed. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” He heard a chuckle. “The real question is if your old ass can keep up.”

Was that...teasing? Dear God. Something good-natured. Finally. Oddly enough, being insulted was enough to put a spring in Jack’s step. He didn’t tell Gabriel that he read his statement that way, because he knew Gabriel would just try to shoot him down, and he really didn’t want to hear that right now. There was more to him than just hating Jack. There had to be. But he would certainly deny it; he may not even know it himself. Or maybe he was just buying into his own delusions again.

Eventually, they reached a clearing that was nowhere near any landmarks at all, and Jack saw the desk-like panel in the distance. Trying to make it as hard to find as possible, he supposed. Only intelligence from the inside would ever make you able to find this in the miles of desolate terrain. 

Gabriel walked towards the panel and made the odd screen hit the monitor again; a few seconds later, the ‘DEACTIVATING…” came up. With that, the second panel was deactivated. Three to go.

Gabriel must have really built up a lot of goodwill in Talon if they were still not suspicious of him. At least, they didn't seem to be, because Jack still hadn't seen a single Talon agent. "Did you say this was official business, too?"

"Of course I did," he said. "Now you're catching on. I knew you had a brain in there somewhere."

Jack rolled his eyes. He decided it was better to just keep it to himself how annoying comments like that were. Then again, they seemed relatively harmless for now. At the very least, it was better than being screamed at...or shot.

On his way back to the helicopter, Jack patted Gabriel on the back. “We’re a good team, aren’t we?”

“Guess we are.”

Maybe, just maybe, he was creating some cracks in the ‘Reaper’ persona. Revealing the real Gabriel buried deep underneath. He knew he shouldn’t let himself build up too much hope, but he was finally getting some camaraderie out of him. That had to be a start, right? 

On their way to the third panel, the plane ride was slightly longer. It gave them a bit of time to talk. Although he still got no answers whatsoever, Gabriel at least was able to be more cordial now. It felt like he was making progress. Slowly, but surely.

“Why me, anyway?” Jack asked as he fiddled with some form of technology in the helicopter that he didn’t recognize.

“Don’t touch that,” Gabriel scolded. Jack put it down with a sheepish smile. “Anyway, it’s because you’re tough, and I know you’re not on their side.”

Jack reluctantly decided not to press Gabriel for answers any further. He wasn’t getting anywhere by doing that at the moment, and he was surprised Gabriel hadn't snapped at him for it yet. Maybe in time. 

On the other hand, getting any kind of positive feedback from Gabriel at all was enough to make him smile. Even if it was just being called 'tough'; a compliment to his physical strength didn't exactly say much about his character, but it was at least something. Jack knew that he may be reading too much into these little comments, but Gabriel had always let on how he felt without saying it aloud. Jack would judge, but he did the exact same thing. Maybe that was how he recognized it.“Oh. Well, thanks.”

“For what?”

Jack scratched the back of his head. “Being nice. I guess.”

Gabriel chuckled. “If you say so.”

Panel #3 was in central Spain, a rural area away from basically any civilization. This time, it was in a building. The two weaved their way through the area, with Jack picking up a few snacks from the closest town (which was still annoyingly far away). The terrain here wasn’t as rough as it was in the previous two panels, making it a welcome reprieve from the difficult conditions. Maybe there was some other horrible thing about it that he wasn’t aware of.

On their way to the building, Jack handed Gabriel a package of food.

Gabriel looked at it and opened it, and Jack heard him laugh. A genuine, honest-to-god laugh. “McDonalds? Really fucking authentic cuisine, Jack.”

“Fuck you, it tastes good,” Jack grumbled, biting into his six-piece McNuggets.

Despite his criticism, Gabriel began to eat as well...in his own way. He actually slid his hands under the mask to put fries inside, with mechanical efficiency that suggested he had done this many times before. Was he really this desperate to keep up the edgy persona? Jack rolled his eyes as visibly as he could.

"What are you gonna do after this, anyway?" Jack asked, deciding that he may at least be willing to answer a question about future actions. Just not current ones. Or many past ones. He wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't get _something,_ so this was what he had.

Gabriel stopped eating, looking over at Jack. "What do you mean?"

"Talon's not gonna like you anymore after this, right? So...what do you do?" _Be on my side again. Please._

Gabriel shrugged. "I'll think of something. Maybe just wander the world alone."

"Do you always have to do the edgiest thing possible?" Jack asked.

"Of course I do," Gabriel said. "Did you expect any different?"

Jack didn't even need to think about that. "No. Never did."

Gabriel lead him to a building in a small clearing, which he assumed was their destination. It really did look slightly out of place; a building in the middle of nowhere that didn’t look like a barn; it didn't suit the rural atmosphere at all. Not very inconspicuous of them. 

On their way, Gabriel had made fun of him for the McDonalds at least five times. This banter felt good. It felt right. When they got to the door, Gabriel was in the process of laughing at his own joke about there being nothing else to eat in Indiana but corn and fast food. 

Right. Back to business. “Should I stay outside and be lookout?” Jack asked. 

“No,” Gabriel said immediately.

Huh? “Why not?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” he said, nonchalantly. “You might try to betray me if I let you out of my sight. Turn me in to the authorities or some shit.”

Somehow, those words felt like a lance stabbing through Jack’s heart. 

“I thought we were a team. Why don’t you trust me?” Jack said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice (and probably failing). Was all of his progress just a delusion?

Gabriel froze, then turned around slowly. “Because you fucking abandoned me to die. What, did you think we were friends or something?” He said, a mocking tone in his voice.

Jack tried his best not to make it too obvious when he physically recoiled at that. “But we were having fun.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I can talk shit with you, but did you seriously think that meant I could just forgive you for everything? Because of a little joking around?”

When he heard those words, Jack was very glad he was wearing the mask, because he realized something: he was starting to cry. He had really thought he was getting somewhere. Had this asshole just been manipulating him to get loyalty? It wasn’t as if Gabriel hadn’t manipulated people in the past...but Jack thought they were above that. That he really cared enough to never do that to Jack. Was he wrong? “Maybe I did,” he said, voice shaking. Fuck, the way his voice sounded would make it so obvious--

“Are you crying?” Gabriel said, and Jack wasn’t sure if what he heard in his voice was condescension, empathy, or just confusion. Like he was so disconnected from Jack’s emotions at this point. Dear God, what had he been thinking?

“I…” 

Before Jack could finish his sentence, Gabriel slammed the door open and pushed Jack inside, then ran inside himself. “What the hell?!” Jack said, trying not to shout.

Gabriel didn’t say anything. Instead, he pointed at the window, which showed a crowd of Talon agents stomping towards them, each marching in a perfect line. There was something so ominous about that, as if all of their humanity was gone. Only existing to serve the goals of the unit with no questions, no matter how awful those goals were.

Shit.

Gabriel grabbed Jack’s hand, pulling him up the building’s stairwell. They both ran up; around when they reached the second floor, Jack heard the sound of windows smashing; shortly afterwards, there was stomping coming upward towards them. 

The panel was near the opposite wall. Gabriel ran towards it; the text on the screen came up painfully slow, as the pounding sound got closer. Finally, the lights on the panel started to fade.

They didn’t have any more time before the Talon agents broke inside. Fuck it. They had no choice but to fight, despite Jack feeling like his heart had just been put through a shredder. No time for emotions now. He gave Gabriel a nod, and both of them pointed their weapons at the incoming agents.

The two worked flawlessly together. Agent after agent fell before them, each of them tumbling to their feet. As Jack took down easily his 10th one (God, how many of these guys were there?), he felt something crash into his side, knocking him over. He tried to get up, but several others piled up on him. He struggled, but the assholes were stronger than they looked. A gun was pointed at his face. What a stupid way to die, taken out by a bunch of fucking grunts. He turned to look for Gabriel, to at least see him before he died, but he couldn’t find him.

Suddenly, one of the men on him was thrown off; while the other agents were distracted, Jack pushed the rest off. Gabriel took each of them out with his shotguns.

Jack brushed himself off. Looks like that was all of them. He turned to Gabriel. “Whew. Those goons were fucking tough,” he said, then remembered their conversation. He wondered if Gabriel felt any tension at all about it, or he just thought he was rejecting some kind of delusional pest.

Gabriel’s mask was fixed on the ground. “You almost died.”

Jack stared at him. That was kind of part of his job description. “Yeah. Happens a lot.” Jack shrugged.

His eyes stayed fixed on the ground. “Yeah, but I don’t have to watch it.” He shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jack paused, trying to absorb what was said as Gabriel walked away. Slowly, he started walking back where they came from. 

Gabriel never stopped confusing him.

—

They had to keep watch on their way to the helicopter, as it was clear that Talon was onto them now. After everything that happened in Spain, talking to Gabriel felt awkward, so he just stayed silent. Gabriel didn’t seem very talkative either; it was hard to read him under the mask, but something was clearly distracting him. Whatever that might be. Did it even matter anymore? 

They got to their ride with no problems. As they flew over Spain, Jack comprehended the fact that his time with Gabriel was nearly over. He should be happy they were saving the world. But all he could think of was how they’d have to be apart again without Jack having solved anything.

He had hoped that maybe he could at least repair parts of their relationship, even if he never got the answers he wanted. But even that might have been a delusion. In fact, it may have been even worse than he thought. He would keep fighting for it as long as there was even the slightest chance of it being possible, but it was hard not to be discouraged at moments like this. He still wondered if Gabriel had just been manipulating him the entire time, and any of that bonding they did was just a ruse. A way to make him more obedient. Would Gabriel ever do that to Jack? Turns out, even shooting Jack wasn’t able to emotionally impact him this much.

The silence was intensely awkward, and it felt like a physical weight on the air around them. About ten minutes into their flight, he heard Gabriel mumble, “Sorry.”

Jack was more shocked than he’d like to admit. He said the 's' word. “You are? For what?” He got the feeling he knew the reason, but had to be completely sure. He’d never have peace of mind if he wasn’t.

“Saying what I said.” Even more quietly, just audible over the sound of the helicopter, he said, “We can be friends.”

Maybe there was hope after all.

A few moments passed. “I’m sorry too,” Jack started. “For everything. I just miss having a best friend.”

“Maybe you can have one again someday.” He saw Gabriel turn back to the controls, steadfastly refusing to look in Jack’s direction. “When I saw you about to die, I remembered what matters.”

He didn’t make the statement any more clear than that, but he didn’t need to. Jack had gotten plenty enough to be satisfied.

The rest of the ride was mostly quiet, but the silence was much more comfortable. 

When they made it to their destination in Japan, however, that tranquility quickly faded; there were a massive number of Talon agents waiting for them on the ground. 

“Shit,” Gabriel said. “We’re changing course.” He started to turn the plane sharply left.

“You sure we can’t take them on?” Jack asked. They were super soldiers, after all.

Gabriel sighed. “Sometimes I feel like you _want_ to get yourself killed.” 

Jack gave him a toothy grin. “Maybe.” 

Gabriel stared intensely at the controls. “I’d love to banter more, but we’ve got a world to save.” Well, at least Gabriel seemed much more enthusiastic now. Jack got the sense that he was just as relieved to have partially solved the issue as well (although he may just be happy he didn’t have to be vulnerable anymore). He started to land the helicopter. He turned to Jack. “You ready?”

Jack cocked his rifle. “Always.”

The two ran to the east, Gabriel leading the way (Jack really had no idea where they were going). They stuck to the low ground, staying as far out of sight of anyone as possible. After a bit of running, they reached the gathering of Talon agents. The two of them used the vegetation to hide, slipping past the guards just before they turned around. 

Quietly, Gabriel closed in on the control panel, while Jack kept on the lookout. The deactivation came up; Gabriel nodded to Jack, then shattered the panel. The sound instantly alerted the agents around them. “Move it!” Gabriel shouted. The two of them rushed away, easily outspeeding the agents and somehow making it to the helicopter unharmed. 

Gabriel took off; as Jack looked down at the agents beneath that were scrambling to call for some kind of aerial backup, he felt surprisingly content, considering his life was still in danger.

It wasn't like he wasn’t used to it.

—

After flying for about an hour, Gabriel landed them in what looked like a completely open field. He opened the door and motioned towards it; Jack followed. 

As they walked through tall grass under the clear sky, Jack looked over at his friend. God, they might be _friends_ again. Sure, it was only a possibility, as far as he knew. Shouldn’t get _too_ ahead of himself. Still, even using that word was further than he thought he’d ever get again. After everything that happened...it was a damn miracle.

Eventually, Gabriel arrived at a house that was small enough that it was barely visible in the dark of the night and among the dense vegetation. He unlocked the door, allowing both himself and Jack inside.

The house wasn’t particularly special. Jack was too exhausted to explore the entire thing; instead, he immediately flopped down on the couch. 

“No more stamina, old man?” Gabriel said as he walked in, turning the light on. Despite the chiding words, his trudging walk gave away the fact that he was just as tired as Jack was. 

Jack grinned at him. “I’m younger than you. Who’s the old man here?”

Gabriel slumped onto the loveseat. “Still you.” He took the mask off; seeing Gabriel’s real face was an important milestone to Jack. Something to at least partially break the barrier between them. At least, that’s how he interpreted it. Gabriel’s eyes had turned red, his skin had grayed significantly, and there were holes scattered along his face, but he was still Gabriel. That was what mattered. “You can stop staring now,” Gabriel said, without looking in his direction. 

Jack turned his head away, hoping he wasn’t being rude. “Sorry.”

“Relax,” Gabriel said. “I’m just fucking with you. I get it. It’s a lot to take in. I’m not exactly the knockout Latin loverboy I used to be.”

“I think you look fine,” Jack said. And he meant it.

That seemed to catch Gabriel off guard, because he quickly turned towards Jack. After staring at him for a moment, he reclined back into his seat without saying anything.

A comfortable silence developed for a while. A few moments into it, Gabriel turned the lights off; Jack didn’t object. Maybe he felt that it helped the atmosphere, or maybe he was just too tired to care. Jack was too worn out to think about anything in particular, but didn’t want to lose the time he had with Gabriel by sleeping. As if he would be gone again when he woke up. 

A while later, he noticed Gabriel stir. “Hey, Jack?” He heard his voice. “You awake?”

Jack stretched, letting out a small sigh. “Yeah.”

“Just wanted to say thanks, I guess.” Gabriel hesitated, but continued. “For trusting me. Taking me back in. I know I did a lot of shitty things to you.”

Jack wasn’t sure how to take in this moment of emotional vulnerability, but god damn did he value it. These things were like pulling teeth with Gabriel. “Guess I’ve done enough shitty things myself that I don’t have the right to judge.” A small smile hit his face.

“I can’t promise everything will be perfect from now on, you know,” Gabriel said. “We’ve still got a lot of shit to talk over.”

Jack shrugged (well, as much as he could while laying down). “Eh. Can take it day by day.” Gabriel chuckled quietly, and didn’t say anything else for a few moments. “You think I’m worth it?” Jack asked, trying not to sound too needy.

“You think you can force cheesy shit out of me that easy?” Gabriel said. This good-natured teasing was what he missed most of all. The banter that made his life a little more enjoyable every time. 

“Hey, can’t fault a guy for trying.” 

The two of them laughed. Gabriel’s laugh was so sweet. He could listen to it all day. 

He tried to stop himself right there. Those thoughts were getting into dangerous territory. The feelings he had for Gabriel...those were buried in the past. Right?

But all he could think about was how much he wanted to hear that laugh every day for the rest of his life. God damn it.

Gabriel sighed. “We gotta plan what we’re gonna do next.”

What Jack really wanted was to fall asleep here, comforted by the steady sound of Gabriel’s breathing. “Do we have to?” Jack grumbled.

“Yes,” Gabriel said, getting up and turning the lights back on before returning to his chair. Jack rubbed his eyes. He must have already been starting to drift off. Reluctantly, Jack sat up. “Judging by our welcome party last time, they know what I’m doing now. Only one more panel left, but it’s gonna be heavily guarded.”

Jack inched closer to him. “So what’s the plan, strategist? Know you would never let me make the plan.”

Gabriel laughed. “Yeah, ‘cause I don’t want us to die.” Rude. Jack assured himself that he could make a good plan if he really wanted to. “Plan’s pretty simple, actually. I’ll use my access code to get us into the building. It should still work for now. You’ll watch my back while we clear the area right near the panel. Since it’s in its own room, I’ll shadow step inside while you guard the door, then voila. After that, we’re gonna need to fucking run, so I hope those legs are still in top condition. Seem simple enough?”

Jack nodded. Something came to his mind. “Gabe, can you be honest with me this time?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Why are you helping me? Thought you were on their side.”

Gabriel chuckled, but it sounded more like a resigned sigh than any sound of amusement. “I always wanted to destroy them. That’s why I came in. I wasn’t done with my plan, but once I found out Akande was really in the position to destroy the entire fucking world, I knew I had to do something.”

Wait. Was he right to have hope the whole time? “Knew you weren’t really evil, Gabe.” Jack gave him a smile. “Your bullshit never fooled me.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know why you think I’m a good person. I’ve done so many awful things.”

“You’re a complicated person, Gabe, but you’re not a bad one. There’s always been good in you. Even if only I can see it,” Jack said.

“That was fucking corny, Jack,” Gabriel said with a smile. He leaned back in his chair. “Man, we wasted so much time hating each other.”

“I never hated you,” Jack said. “I was so pissed at you, but I could never hate you. Even when you’re being a shithead.” 

Gabriel chuckled. “Same to you.” 

Jack looked up at the ceiling. So much had happened in the past 24 hours. He was still trying to absorb it all. “If we’re not dead by the end of all this, can we just...not fight anymore? Try to talk out our problems instead of trying to hurt each other?”

“You sound like Angela,” Gabriel said. “But yeah. That sounds good.” He paused. “Can you promise me you’ll never abandon me again?”

“Never,” Jack said, with no hesitation. He would regret that for the rest of his life, even if Gabriel really did forgive him. “If you promise not to shoot me again.” Of course, words didn’t necessarily mean everything, but they were a start.

Gabriel nodded. “Deal.” He reached out his hand. Although Jack briefly (and foolishly) hoped that he wanted to hold hands, he quickly realized that he was trying to shake hands and seal the deal. Right. Any chance they ever had together was in the past. Jack would just have to accept that. Being his friend was enough, right?

“Jack? Why are you staring like that?” Gabriel said. That was enough to snap Jack out of his trance. He reached forward and their hands met, and Jack tried not to blush. After a moment, Gabriel gave him a small smile, not enough to expose the extra teeth on the right side of his mouth. “Y’know, I’m not an idiot. I can tell what you’re thinking.”

Jack froze. “You can?” Wow, what a fucking stupid response. _Way to make yourself look like some idiot teenager, Jack._

“Yeah.” Suddenly, Gabriel sat down on the couch next to Jack, and he felt acutely aware of Gabriel’s body heat. It was less intense than it used to be; he chalked that up to Gabriel’s new body. “If you wanted me to show you how I feel, you could’ve just asked,” he heard Gabriel whisper in his ear. The feeling of the other man’s warm breath on the side of his face felt more intimate than he had been prepared for. 

It all happened so fast. Gabriel wrapped his arms around Jack, who turned to face him. “You...feel the same?”

Gabriel chuckled against his ear. “Always have. Can’t believe you couldn’t tell. You’ve always been so dense.” 

The two of them did nothing for a moment. Jack felt himself freeze up. How the hell was he supposed to respond to this? How could he not screw it up? He had probably already made himself look like an idiot. In his absolute best seductive voice, he said, “Why don’t you prove it?”

Gabriel...certainly took him up on that. He pulled Jack closer and kissed him. Jack quickly opened his mouth and allowed his tongue inside. God, Gabriel’s mouth was so warm. It was a perfect reminder that he was still alive, still a real person. No matter what his body was now.

Jack worked his hands down to Gabriel’s waist as their kiss deepened, until Gabriel was straddling his lap. They stayed in that position, Jack burying his tongue as deeply into Gabriel’s mouth as he possibly could. “Mmmmf, Gabe, I missed you so much,” Jack said, muffled by the kiss.

Gabriel pushed him down on the couch, and Jack pulled the other man down with him, their lips still connected. The soft feeling of drifting smoke on the sides of Gabriel’s body only served to increase the intimacy of the moment.

How the hell did he ever let this man get away?

Their lips eventually parted, both of them grinning and still holding onto each other. Red or not, Gabriel had beautiful eyes, and Jack could stare into them all day. Even the small holes in his cheeks couldn’t stop Jack from finding him incredible to look at. “I’m too tired to fuck, you know,” Gabriel said.

“What a shame,” Jack said, trying not to look too goofy. As if he needed that. He already had plenty to satisfy him for the night.

“We should go to bed. Got a big day tomorrow,” Gabriel said, getting up and letting go of Jack.

Jack got up as well and stretched. “All we’re doing is saving the world. Not like we haven’t already done that a shit ton of times.”

Gabriel gave him a nod. “True.” He looked away for a moment. “There’s only one bedroom. Was gonna sleep on the couch, but now…”

Jack saw an opportunity to sleep next to Gabriel, and instantly took it. No way he was letting that get away. There were few things he wanted more, really. “Let’s go.” He grabbed Gabriel’s hand, who nodded at him and led him to the bedroom. Both of them stepped inside, and Gabriel got into bed almost immediately. The bed looked comfortable and welcoming after such a long day, especially with the thought of laying in Gabriel’s warm embrace. 

Jack slid into bed next to Gabriel, right where he always belonged. 

\--

“Sir, we have the reports from Japan. The fourth panel has been destroyed.”

Akande hummed. So, Reyes and Morrison thought they had him backed into a corner. Perhaps in some respects, they did. But he still had some time.

Looks like they’d have to test the large scale version of their plan. And he knew exactly what the perfect subjects would be. Two birds with one stone, they say.

—

Lena sat in the meeting room of the Gibraltar base, with the rest of the new Overwatch sitting around a large table. They had gotten intel the previous day that Talon agents were appearing in unusual locations around the world, but details of what they were doing were very fuzzy at the time. There had also been reports of two people causing havoc within their bases, but they didn’t have any information on who they were. What a mess.

“Their agents have been gathering near major cities around the world,” Winston explained. “I think they might be planning something big.” 

Lena jumped when she heard a pounding on the nearby door leading to the outside. It sounded like someone was trying to break in using brute force. 

She had very little time to react before they succeeded, completely breaking down the door and revealing several Null Sector Omnics. Immediately, she spotted that they were quite armed. She didn’t have time to get down before a volley of bullets were sent her way. Reinhardt put his shield in front of her just in time. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

Reinhardt gave her a smile, then picked up the helmet of his armor from the table and put it back on, as well as picking up his hammer. “No time for that now!” She nodded, picking up her pistols, ready for action. Looking around the room, she saw Genji pull out his blade, Winston take out his Tesla cannon, and everyone else also grab their various weapons. The team mobilized very well, if she said so herself.

Lena shot down one of the robots, causing it to fall uselessly to the ground, smoke coming out of it. Winston zapped one until it broke, and Mei shot an icicle directly into the head of one. At the center, she saw a Bastion unit, which opened fire; those things were terrifying. Luckily, Genji jumped in front of it and deflected its fire, destroying it.

After a few moments, she exhaled. That seemed to be all of them. “Everyone alright?” She shouted.

She heard a chorus of ‘yeah’s throughout the room, and smiled. They were such an effective team.

However, this smile was quickly taken off her face as a massive number of robots broke in through both the doors and the windows. There had to be dozens of them, and more of them entered every second. How the hell had they coordinated so well?

“There’s way too many of them!” Brigitte said.

“Get in the back room!” Winston yelled.

One by one, all of them funneled into two massive double doors in the rear of the room they had been in. Winston slammed them shut behind them.

“Those should hold for a while,” Winston said, “But I don’t know how long they’ll last if they keep firing on them.”

Reinhardt nodded at Brigitte, then both of them stepped in front of the door with their shields up. Even those probably wouldn’t last forever with all of that fire, and Lena knew it. But there was no escape; stepping out of this room would lead to them getting fired on and killed immediately.

“Is there any way to stop this?” Mei asked; the fear in her voice was audible. 

Angela shook her head. “Even all of us together could never fight those things off.”

Lena bit her lip. “Maybe we can get help somehow?”

“I called the police, but I doubt they can really do that much, with so many out there,” Winston said, looking forlorn.

She saw Mei looking like she was about to cry. Lena patted her on the shoulder. “It’ll be OK. We’ve found our way out of a lot of jams before, right?” She smiled at Mei, who returned it. If only she really had as much faith as she said.

Even her best optimism couldn’t keep her nerves down from this one.

\--

When Jack woke up that morning, he felt well-rested for the first time in...hell, years. Hearing the soft sound of Gabriel’s breathing was enough to keep him much more calm than he was ever used to. Jack gave Gabriel a small smile and rubbed the top of his head. “Time to get up, Gabe. Got things to do.”

“Mmph,” Gabriel mumbled as his eyes slowly opened. “Five more hours.” Jack started to get up. Gabriel reached his arms up after him. “No. Don’t leave me. You’re warm,” Gabriel said, words still slightly slurred from just waking up. He was so cute like this. Before all of the stress of the day got to him; when he was just purely Gabriel, at his very sweetest and least wound up. 

Jack kissed his forehead, then started to physically drag him out of bed. “Gotta save the world, y’know.”

Gabriel struggled, eventually sitting up on his own. “Ugh, I’m up, I’m up.” He got out of the bed and stretched, showing off the muscles in his back. No, no time to get horny now. As much as he’d love to be fucking Gabriel right now, they had more important things to do. He dreaded the prospect of not being able to have sex for the rest of the day. Oh well.

Jack managed to get Gabriel to stumble to the kitchen, and the two ate breakfast. As Gabriel started to wake up more, Jack couldn’t keep his eyes off his face. The man he loved was finally his again. He couldn’t keep down a goofy smile. “You look like a doofus,” Gabriel said, bringing Jack back to reality. 

“Thanks. I try my best,” Jack said.

After breakfast, the two packed up their ammunition and took out their weapons. Gabriel was certainly awake now, as he put the cloak on and pulled the mask over his face. After spending the night with Gabriel’s face exposed, it felt odd to look at the mask again. It was a shame, really. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to wear it much after all of this was over. Maybe Jack could finally convince him to retire.

Before Jack knew it, they were back in the helicopter, Jack trying not to cling too tightly and distract him from the controls. He was happy, damn it. Let him have this.

Judging by the in-flight map, the final panel was located in central China. Jack had no idea where he was. As they landed, he saw the terrain around them was very mountainous, and absolutely frigid. He should’ve worn something warmer over his jacket. He was sure Gabriel didn’t get cold under that massive-ass cloak, though.

Evidently, this panel had a full-fledged base around it, because they could see a large building in the distance. Around that time, they started seeing Talon agents; they concealed themselves among the snow-covered trees. Luckily, the snow provided good cover, like some kind of nearly solid blanket. The crowd of agents became thicker and thicker as they approached the building; eventually, they managed to reach somewhat close to the outside.

“How are we gonna get in there? You won't be able to get in without a fight.” Jack asked.

Gabriel lifted his shotgun. “Change of plans. We're gonna break shit.” He smashed the window with it, picking Jack up and nearly throwing him inside; he jumped in as well. An alarm started to sound.

“Why the fuck did you do that?! Now they all know we’re here!” Jack said, trying not to shout (although it wasn’t as if they hadn’t drawn attention to themselves anyway).

“Can you still run fast?” Gabriel said, as he started to run towards the door of the room they had broken into. He didn’t get time to answer, as they both had to burst through the door and race down the hallway. Already, there was a horde of agents chasing after them, including some of those massive heavy assault people. They always freaked Jack out. 

“Do you know where we’re going?” Jack shouted as he ran beside Gabriel.

“Of course I do,” Gabriel responded, sounding offended that Jack had even questioned him. Jack rolled his eyes, and hoped that he wasn’t bluffing. 

Jack followed Gabriel. Evidently, he did at least have _some_ idea, because they stopped in front of a large room. Gabriel smashed right through the door. Well, that seemed unnecessary.

As they made their way inside, Jack saw a stairwell in the middle of the room; at the top of it, he could just barely make out the panel. Just in front of the stairwell was a crowd of Omnics. 

“Shit!” Gabriel yelled. “Nothing to do but fight.” Jack nodded. At least something he was used to.

Gabriel jumped into a crowd of them in a cloud of smoke, and broken pieces flew everywhere. Meanwhile, Jack shot them one-by-one, using his rockets to clear areas. Ever so slowly, the crowd started to break up, and Jack saw a clear path. He grabbed Gabriel’s hand and shoved him towards it; they both rushed up as fast as they could. No time to waste.

\--

The door wouldn’t hold much longer. 

Lena could hear a cracking sound coming from it, as it took more and more hits. From what she could hear, it seemed several Omnics were now directly ramming into it with their bodies. Once that door gave, she had no idea what they were going to do.

The room had gone silent, the only sound being Mei’s soft crying and a low growl coming from Reinhardt as he held his shield out in front of them, his hammer resting at his side. 

Lena and Mei were both holding onto Winston, as if he could be some kind of anchor for their protection. Unfortunately, he looked uneasy as well. Nobody could be a rock here. Nonetheless, Lena refused to give up hope. She held out the slight possibility that maybe somebody would be able to stop this, or emergency services might be able to break through. Somehow. Please, let it happen somehow…

As Gabriel and Jack climbed the stairs, the Omnics underneath them continued to give chase. This was going to be a close one. 

After what felt like eons too long, the two of them reached the panel. Gabriel put his hand on the panel and the monitor lit up, and Jack desperately hoped it would hurry up.

_REYES_

The door gave. Lena heard several people around her scream, and she buried her face in Winston’s side. This was the end, wasn’t it? After everything, she was going to die here. She didn’t know how to accept that.

_DEACTIVATING…_

After a few seconds, Lena realized: she wasn’t dead. Gunfire hadn’t torn her to pieces. There was no machine on top of her. She looked up from Winston’s side, opening her eyes. 

When she opened them, she saw something bizarre. The Omnics had all stopped in their tracks. She saw Reinhardt put his shield down with a small ‘Huh?’, and several of her other friends lifted their heads up. One by one, they started to fall over, until all of them were harmlessly on the ground, with the people around her gasping in confusion and surprise.

The lights on the panel faded, and Jack shot into it with a Helix rocket. 

“Now, how the hell do we get out of here?” Jack said.

Gabriel grabbed onto Jack’s hand. “It’s easy, but you’re not gonna like it.” He smashed the nearby window, then jumped out of it, dragging Jack along. 

“Gabe, what the fu--” He shouted, panicking.

Luckily, the drop wasn’t too far, cutting him off before he finished. It hurt when he hit the ground, but he was pretty sure there was no serious damage, even though he landed on his ass. He looked over at Gabriel, who had perfectly stuck the landing. Show off.

“Are you just gonna stand there like an idiot, or are you gonna run?” Gabriel said, grabbing his arm again and running back in the direction of their helicopter.

Had they really gotten out of that alive?

_A month later_

Jack sat on the couch of the house he shared with Gabriel. They had to lay low for a while, considering Talon would clearly be after them. They lived on a small farm, well away from anyone else that knew them.

Jack looked out over the fields that they owned. He took a lot of joy out of farming this land. Turns out you can take a boy out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Gabriel made fun of him for being a cowpoke, but what did he know?

He knew how to make Jack happy. He supposed that was something.

He felt Gabriel come up behind him, hugging him from above. Gabriel kissed the top of his head. “Hey.”

Jack reached upwards to pull him in and kiss him on the lips. “Hey. How’s my angel?”

Gabriel stared at him. “You _know_ I am not that.”

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s a cute nickname. Don’t be annoying.”

Gabriel grinned, running his fingers through Jack’s all-white hair. “But that’s my job.”

“If your job is to be a pain in my ass, you’re pretty damn good at that,” Jack grunted. He chuckled. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“You’re so fucking cheesy, you know that?” Gabriel said, with a big grin on his face, enough to show the elongation of his mouth. In its own way, it was cute. “I don’t know how I love you.”

“Your mistake, not mine. Now c’mere.” He patted the spot next to him on the couch. “Gimme some love.”

“Way to be clingy.” Despite those teasing words, Gabriel sat next to Jack, cuddling a little closer to him.

Jack turned on the TV. The news was covering the extreme decrease in Omnic attacks in the past month. Of course, neither of them had revealed they were the ones who caused that. Running off without telling anyone was much safer. He didn't care much for the glory and glamour, anyway. He sure as hell had enough of that over the course of his life. It wasn't as good as one might think. 

It wasn't as if Talon was completely gone. But Jack felt confident that they'd set them back enough that it wasn't their problem anymore. Let the kids deal with it. Jack just wanted to relax for a while with the man he loved, to get back some of the time they'd been deprived of for decades. Maybe he'd come back out and try to help eventually...nah, probably not. Both of them had done all they could.

He picked up his beer and took a sip, looking over at Gabriel, who seemed truly content. Something that he finally got to see, after decades of him having a basically permanent glare on his face (and years of it being covered by a mask).

The path to this life was almost impossibly difficult. It involved almost dying many times, and Gabriel actually dying. But somehow, against all odds, they had reached this ending. Even if they had to hide from the rest of the world, Jack didn’t need them, anyway. All he needed was Gabriel. And now he had him back.

Retirement suited them well.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that this feels a little rushed. I might touch this up and edit it some more later. Still, enjoy!


End file.
